In December 2022 Head of College Nick Alchin announced a bold new undertaking in partnership with the International Baccalaureate Organisation (IBO), with a commitment to offer an additional IB Diploma option to UWCSEA students from 2024. This new diploma option is part of a small scale pilot, designed to have a significant impact on the future of education and the IB Diploma worldwide.

UWCSEA is recognised as a global leader in K-12 education, not least for our continuous innovation in student learning, preparing students for the uncertain future that lies ahead. One recent exciting innovation is the development of the mission-aligned Grade 9/10 UWCSEA programme, which launched in Grade 9 this year. As Head of College, Nick Alchin, said, this programme “gives students more flexibility and choice, more complex, real-world problem solving, more interdisciplinary thinking and more authentic assessment in-line with the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma assessment model.”

This article explores how a team of Grade 1 teachers in Singapore used place- based learning to support language learning while creating a sense of belonging.